Aaron Kwok declares himself “the vainest man”

The result? He looks pretty darned good for someone who’s turning 54 in October

It’s not every day you get to sit down and have a chat with a Heavenly King. It’s even more surprising when the 20-minute talk was all about beauty – something that less open-minded people would brush off as ‘woman talk’. The Heavenly King in question is Aaron Kwok, who we must say looks pretty darned good for someone who’s turning 54 in October.

The Hong Kong singer-actor was in Singapore on Thursday night (August 28) for the launch of the new Lancôme Advanced Génifique skincare range, where he chatted freely about his secrets to maintaining his age-defying skin and physique.

“I’ve been looking after myself, in particular my skin, for the past 24 years. That makes me the vainest man, and with these 24 years under my belt, I think I’m qualified to talk about beauty and the importance of skincare,” he grinned.

To Aaron, gone are the days where it would be considered manly to not care about your skin.

He mused, “The only word I can use to describe men that don’t bother looking after their skin is ‘doomed’ (…) Skincare doesn’t need to take up hours of your time. I spend less than 10 minutes a day cleansing and moisturising my skin. Once in a while, I will use a mask, and I also recommend going for facials once a month. It’s not that hard.”

Aaron added with a chuckle, “What’s the point of dressing yourself up in all these fancy clothes if you don’t even want to give your skin some clothes of its own – in this case, skincare? Your face is what people look at the most. Once men start taking care of their skin, the results will speak for themselves. I won’t be responsible if they end up being chased after by all the women around them!”

The straight-talker shared that he makes it his personal mission to spread the skincare agenda among the men around him. “Some men might think that it’s not cool to be so vain, but I think this is something that has to change. I won’t say too much (even if a female that I know) doesn’t have the most ideal skin, because I think women, at the very least, have the notion of looking after themselves.”

Skincare isn’t the only thing that Aaron is fastidious about, as he extolled the importance of good health and keeping yourself fit.

“I weigh myself every single day. The weighing scale doesn’t lie – unless it’s out of battery,” he laughed. “I ensure that I’m always between 62kg and 64kg. If I go above that, I know that my body is telling me that something is wrong, and I’m either not eating or exercising right.”

On a day that his weighing scale tells him that his consistent gymming has paid off, he treats himself to his poison of choice: mala hotpot.

Declaring it as “terrible, yet something I can’t stop myself from having”, he bemoaned how bad it is for his body. Yet, he can’t help but indulge in it every once in a while, as he advised that cutting your favourite food completely out of your life isn’t the solution – eating it in moderation is.

“After I have mala hotpot, I’ll put in 25 per cent more effort at the gym the next day. It’s a punishment of sorts, but it also allows me to eat what I love, so it’s a win-win,” he explained.